Is Jean the only leader? By Jacques Van Der Westhuyzen Jean de Villiers is so important to the Springbok cause that Heyneke Meyer and Co waited until 24 hours before kick-off against Samoa last weekend to deem him fit enough to take the field. Meyer pretty much felt the Boks could not do without the 32-year-old’s experience and leadership abilities. Now, that’s all good and well, and to an extent, fully understandable, considering De Villiers’ midfield partner JJ Engelbrecht has only played a handful of Tests and the man who would replace the skipper were he to be ruled out, Jan Serfontein, is only 20 years old and only recently got into the national team. Adriaan Strauss would have led the side had De Villiers been ruled out because of a dodgy sternum, but outside of the Cheetahs man, there are not too many others in the Bok squad who could actually take the reins without questions being asked about his credentials for the job. Who then, is next in line to captain the Boks? This is but one question that will surely be swirling around in Meyer’s head. The other one is whether Meyer is going to back De Villiers to be his inside centre and captain until the next World Cup, in 2015. If he does deem De Villiers irreplaceable over the next two and a half seasons then that’s fine, but De Villiers will have to prove he is the best man to wear the No12 on his back ... and that with the likes of Serfontein and a few others set to push him hard for the Bok inside centre berth. But what if De Villiers picks up a serious or long-term injury, or loses form; who then is the man to captain South Africa? Strauss is the obvious go-to guy, but is he even secure of his position in the starting team? Surely not if you consider Bismarck du Plessis is again fully fit and has, since making his Bok debut, been regarded as the world’s best No2. Could he take over the leadership of the side? The other option is Schalk Burger, and it is believed that had he made his return to the game before the first Test of Meyer’s time in charge of the Boks last year, he would in all likelihood have been handed the captaincy. But his injury worries rule him out as an option at this stage. Pierre Spies is captain of the Bulls, but he is set to lose out to Duane Vermeulen for a starting Bok place when the Western Province man is again fit, so Meyer is not expected to look his way. Francois Louw’s name also popped up in talk about the captaincy last week, but he, too, won’t get a look-in so long as he plays overseas. Yes, there are a number of experienced leaders in the Bok group, but has one of them been ear-marked to take over from De Villiers? That’s the big question. - The Star
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 15:08:31 +0000
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